An overview of the meeting (Source: VNA)

Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Establishment of the ASEAN Community at the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 22.

Following are the full text of the declaration.

“WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (hereinafter referred to as ASEAN), namely Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on the occasion of the 27th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;

RECALLING the spirit in which the ASEAN Founding Fathers gathered in Bangkok in 1967 and signed the ASEAN Declaration to create an organisation that would help bring about a Southeast Asian region of peace, freedom and prosperity for our peoples;

REAFFIRMING our commitment to the ASEAN Vision 2020 (Kuala Lumpur, 1997), the Declaration of ASEAN Concord II (Bali, 2003), the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 (Cebu, 2007), the Cha-am HuaHin Declaration on the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) (Cha-am, 2009), the Bali Declaration on ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations (Bali, 2011), the Phnom Penh Agenda for ASEAN Community Building (Phnom Penh, 2012) and the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on Realisation of the ASEAN Community by 2015 (Nay Pyi Taw, 2014) ;

REAFFIRMING FURTHER our commitment to the ASEAN Charter, which reflects our desire and collective will to live in a region of lasting peace, security and stability, sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and social progress;

ACKNOWLEDGING the significance of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and other key ASEAN instruments in maintaining a peaceful and stable region, which contributes to ASEAN Community building;

RECOGNISING the efforts and significant achievements in the implementation of the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) comprising the ASEAN Political-Security Community, the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprints, as well as the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan II and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity;

CONFIDENT that the realisation of the ASEAN Community has set a milestone in the integration process and will ensure lasting peace, security and resilience in an outward-looking region, with economies that are vibrant, competitive and highly integrated and an inclusive community that is embedded with a strong sense of togetherness and common identity;

UNDERLINING our aspiration towards establishing a truly rules-based, people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community where our peoples continue to participate in and benefit fully from the on-going process of ASEAN integration and community building; and

PLEDGING our continued commitment to the on-going process of ASEAN community building, including an ASEAN Community's post-2015 vision, guided by the purposes and principles of the ASEAN Charter.

Source: vietnam+